From the AP

This is just another piece in the puzzle of why seeing Cruise's new film is absolutely necessary. Of course, another piece was revealed to me today when I looked at the press kit for M:I III, which opens with the phrase, "Tom Cruise, the most exciting and successful star in the world..."

"Movie Promotion Confused With Bomb in L.A."

By The Associated Press
Published: April 30, 2006

Filed at 1:48 a.m. ET

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) -- A newspaper promotion for Tom Cruise's upcoming "Mission: Impossible III" got off to an explosive start when a county arson squad blew up a news rack, thinking it contained a bomb.

The confusion: the Los Angeles Times rack was fitted with a digital musical device designed to play the "Mission: Impossible" theme song when the door was opened. But in some cases, the red plastic boxes with protruding wires were jarred loose and dropped onto the stack of newspapers inside, alarming customers.

Sheriff's officials said they rendered the news rack in this suburb 35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles "safe" after being called to the scene Friday by a concerned individual who thought he'd seen a bomb.

Times officials said the devices were placed in 4,500 randomly selected news boxes in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in a venture with Paramount Pictures designed to turn the "everyday news rack experience" into an "extraordinary mission."

It was just that, at least for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arson squad, which destroyed the box.

"This was the least intended outcome. We weren't expecting anything like this," said John O'Loughlin, the Times' senior vice president for planning.

The devices are to remain in the boxes until May 7, two days after the film is scheduled to open.

Comments

Ursula said…
I think the sentence "This was the least intended outcome" is going to become a regular in my future conversations...
blogmother said…
I am so over Tom Cruise. I need a new pretty boy...Every time I think it might be Brad Pitt, I am reminded that he smells like bad pits.
Oldman said…
This made it to : http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/a_real_movieplo.html